Obstructing the Streetcar

This happens more often than you would think. Unwitting person parks a too-large vehicle, or sloppily-parked regular vehicle, blocking the path of the Streetcar.

Streetcar is literally stopped in its tracks. Trimet driver gets out, circles vehicle, calls in reinforcements.

Parking patrol arrives, circles vehicle.

A friend working at OHSU-CHH witnesses this frequently, and described one such occasion like this:

"Every couple of months, someone parks over the line (the white pickup truck this time) and the streetcar gets held up. Then it is a race to see who will get there first: The tow truck or the truck owner? (Last time it was close, the owner arrived literally as the tow truck was turning onto the street). Who will it be this time, oh the suspense...

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Reddig

This time it was a surprising third option: Get three guys to rock the truck back n forth until it is in the parking spot, then oh soooo sloooowly drive the streetcar past..."

I didn't stick around to see what happened to this poorly parked UHaul. Perhaps it was their first night in town, and they weren't aware of the tracks? Did their belongings get towed away? What a welcome to Portland folks!

Does this happen more often in the South Waterfront than other parts of town? It seems like it does....